


all too strange and strong

by mildlydiscouraging



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Cheesecake, Date Night, Gay, M/M, Making Out, Meet the Family, On the Moon!, Pre-The Suffering Game, Wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-14 14:16:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11784888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mildlydiscouraging/pseuds/mildlydiscouraging
Summary: "It's a lot of work to look this good. You're welcome, by the way.""Thank you?" Kravitz sounds skeptical but is still smiling. Taako would say Kravitz was doing an awful lot of that this evening, if he paid attention to that sort of thing.





	all too strange and strong

There's not so many good places on the moon for a hot date. Most of the buildings are Bureau official—the library, the canteen, the dorms, the gym. There's Fantasy Costco, which is not that interesting and definitely not somewhere Taako wants to be any more than is necessary. The Chug n Squeeze is doing their monthly two-for-one special, sure, but been there done that; the same goes for Goodewill, which was great but sadly not yet ripe for a repeat performance.

So Olive Garden it was. Not the greatest restaurant in the world, or even on the moon, not by a long shot, but the hostess is a former fan of Taako's and can give them a nice table overlooking the lights of Neverwinter. Kravitz appears in Taako's living room five minutes before their agreed-upon meeting time, ten minutes after Taako was ready, and they make their way across the campus in the dying light.

After too much pasta and breadsticks (What were they thinking, making those free? It's a hate crime) they head back to Taako's room arm in arm. The Olive Garden was on the other side of the base, which, while not too far, is still a substantial walk.

They're somewhere between debating the merits of coffee versus tea and the nuances of Kravitz's whole facemelt thing when the night chill starts to creep in between the banter. A shiver breaks Taako's "calm, cool, and collected" persona and Kravitz glances at him.

"Cold?"

Taako shrugs. "Sometimes you have to bleed for your art," he says, gesturing down at his shorts and fitted but generally useless jacket. "It's a lot of work to look this good. You're welcome, by the way."

"Thank you?" Kravitz sounds skeptical but keeps smiling. If he paid attention to that sort of thing Taako might say Kravitz was doing an awful lot of that this evening.

As is, he's about to say something hopefully witty when Kravitz swings his cloak off his shoulders and settles it over Taako.

"Thank _you_ ," Taako says. He inwardly winces as it comes out more shy than flirty, but Kravitz doesn't seem to notice. Or care. Whichever. Is that a good sign? He debates for a second whether or not taking Kravitz's arm would look too clingy when he finds his hand is suddenly a little colder.

"Sorry," Kravitz says when Taako starts. He goes to let go but Taako squeezes his hand.

"It's all good," Taako says. "A little counterproductive, sure, but that's just how life is sometimes. Death too I guess."

"Death too," Kravitz agrees.

They lapse into silence for a moment and Taako feels the sudden urge of indiscernible origins to apologize or something.

"Next time we'll go planetside," Taako promises. "Take one of those great glass Wonkabaubles for a joyride, paint the town red, all that good stuff."

"I mean, I _can_ create a portal between planes at will that I can then reopen to anywhere in the world," Kravitz points out, "but sure, stealing a giant cannonball from your employer sounds good."

Taako actually stops walking, their joined hands forcing the other man to stop too.

"Oh shit."

"Yeah."

"This whole time...?"

"Uh huh."

"...Dip."

Kravitz laughs and squeezes his hand again. "Indeed."

"Well in that case we're definitely getting off this stupid moon next time."

Spring back in his step, Taako pulls the cloak further around his shoulders. It is heavy and warm, despite the fact that he's pretty sure it's made out of thin air or at the very least is incorporeal. He can feel a light breeze pick up the ends of his hair, but none makes its way through the fabric. It's like darkness incarnate; it seems to absorb all light and heat while still feeling effortless.

The only part of him that isn't immediately warm is his face and the hand holding Kravitz's, but Taako is willing to make that sacrifice. Besides, they've been holding hands for long enough that they're reaching a kind of thermodynamic equilibrium.

Overall it is, unsurprisingly, very nice.

When they get to Taako's elevator, just like every other time, he doesn't really want to go.

"I guess this is my stop," he says, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Last station on the one way train to Taakoville."

"Goodnight Taako." Kravitz leans in and kisses him briefly but sweetly. It's still cold and a little bit weird, but Taako is learning to—well, to really really like it.

When Kravitz pulls away, though, Taako doesn't let go of his hand. He flops back against the wall and asks as coyly as he knows how, "You wanna come down for some dessert? Nightcap?"

Kravitz looks a little doubtful, but he still hasn't stopped smiling, so Taako pulls out all the stops. Raising an eyebrow, Taako leans forward off the wall and drawls, "I've got a secret stash of wine and cheesecake the boys don't know about."

"Well..."

"Great!" Taako calls the elevator, which opens immediately, and walks backwards into it as he drags Kravitz with him by both hands. "I've got this sweet red, it goes great with chocolate, you'll love it."

Kravitz laughs, sincerely, and stays close when they stumble into each other. The elevator plays its little song and Kravitz hums along, looking a little far off. It's pretty incredibly endearing, and Taako hides his helpless smile in Kravitz's shoulder and laughs.

"It's a nice song!" Kravitz says defensively.

Taako carefully forces his smile into a smirk and leans back, putting his arms around Kravitz's neck. "Sure, babe," he says as Kravitz's hands alight carefully on his waist under the cloak, "sure it is."

"It _is_ ," Kravitz insists, and they keep going back and forth on the quality of lunar muzak as the door dings open into the Reclaimers' living room. It is blissfully empty (Merle and Magnus are at the Director's for dinner, Taako's mind helpfully supplies) and Taako tosses Kravitz his cloak as he heads for the kitchen.

"Forks are in the drawer to the left of the sink," Taako points as Kravitz appears behind him, jacket gone and sleeves in the middle of being rolled up. He grabs two forks and watches as Taako opens the fridge. There are a few things on the bottom shelf, but he quickly rearranges and removes it.

"Little bit of illusion," Taako explains as his hands phase into the bottom of the fridge. He pulls out two-thirds of a chocolate cheesecake with ragged fork mark edges. "And voila."

He passes Kravitz the cheesecake, pulls out a bottle of wine, and stands, saying, "Pretty much the first thing I did when we moved in, apart from soundproofing my room from the bumble squad's antics."

"That's... incredibly clever."

"You sound surprised."

Kravitz looks like he's considering it for a moment before he smiles. "Not at all."

There are two empty wine glasses on the counter, almost like they were waiting, and Taako scoops them up in his other hand as he kicks the door shut with one heel. "Those dum dums never stood a chance."

Relocating to the living room, Taako sweeps a bunch of mostly Magnus and Merle's stuff off the coffee table and drops the bottle and glasses onto the new empty space. Their sofa is long and L-shaped, with a few books and blankets (and also axes?) piled on the ends, and Taako settles himself in the corner.

"I take it this is a good cake then, hm?" Kravitz waves at the decimated rough edges with the forks in his other hand with a smirk.

"Of course," Taako says as he makes grabby hands. "Only the best for Taako."

Kravitz passes him the cheesecake and one of the forks before sitting down next to him. As soon as he does, Taako scoots closer until their knees are knocking against each other, and he only has a second to overthink before Kravitz smiles. Taako takes a bite before holding the board out for Kravitz.

"Creamy, rich texture, the perfect combination of chocolate and cream cheese," Taako narrates, "with a chocolate graham cracker crust that's moist but not soggy."

Kravitz nods around his fork, then makes a sad noise when Taako steals it out of his mouth. When he finishes his bite and opens his mouth to ask what's up, Taako leans in to kiss him. He tastes like cold and chocolate and if Taako wasn't already planning to get drunk on wine he'd be set with just this.

"Were we going to...?" Kravitz pulls away to ask.

"Mhm."

Taako pulls him back in one more time before standing up. There's a record player in one corner on top of a few shelves of records. Most of them are Merle's, but Taako has moved a couple members of his own collection out into the sun for the occasion.

"Mood music," he explains as he drops the needle on his choice. It has its intended effect almost immediately as Kravitz's eyes light up.

"Is this—?" He tries to sit up straight but only sinks further into the sofa. "Hang on, is this sofa enchanted or something? I feel like I'm being engulfed."

"Mhm," Taako hums again. It's not entirely clear which question it's in answer to, but Kravitz doesn't have time to ask for a clarification as Taako hands him a glass of wine.

"So, gimme all your nerdy facts."

Over the next few hours, two things happen at inversely proportionate rates: the amount of wine and cheesecake they have goes down and the length of their kisses goes up. Eventually it gets to the point where their dessert hasn't been touched in ages, and despite the fact that only one of them generates any body heat at all, or has to breathe, they are both flushed and panting when they pull apart.

"We should fuck on the roof," Taako says. He's sitting back on Kravitz's knees, his folded legs alternating around Kravitz's, purple, black, purple, black. He tries to take off his scarf but ends up choking himself out as it tightens too quickly and has to take a second to re-compose himself. And also drink more wine. A half-empty glass is just sad, he's taking it out of its misery.

Kravitz seizes the opportunity in the pause, his hands still low on Taako's waist. "You live at literally the bottom of the entire world," he says. "We're pretty much as far from a rooftop as we could possibly be."

"That's what elevators are for, babe." The tassels on the end of the scarf and some of Taako's hair smacks Kravitz in the face as Taako finally whips the scarf off and throws it over the back of the couch. It lands partially on Kravitz and gives Taako the bright idea to throw it around his neck. The shimmery purple fabric looks slightly ridiculous against Kravitz's usual somber attire and flustered expression and Taako can't stifle his giggle as he tugs on it.

"C'mon, under the stars and shit? It'll be romantic."

Taako uses the scarf to drag Kravitz into another kiss but is still giggling too hard to do anything. Kravitz starts laughing too, and pretty soon they're both leaning into each other in hysterics, arms still around each other.

They're still there, slouched down into the sofa with their shoulders shaking, pressing messy kisses to whatever skin is closest, when Magnus and Merle return. Magnus and Kravitz both look a little blindsided, but Merle doesn't even given them a second glance as he says, "Looks like _somebody_ had a good night."

"Hell yeah my dude!" Taako flops back, legs still hanging over Kravitz's, and raises the nearest bottle in acknowledgement before finishing it off in one swig.

"Got any more of that?" Merle asks as he throws himself into the armchair across from them. Taako rummages around under the sofa and pulls out another bottle from his secret stash to kick/roll over to Merle.

Magnus is still in the doorway, accidentally making awkward eye contact with Kravitz every once in awhile as he glances faux-nonchalantly around the room. As Merle and Taako start making playfully antagonistic conversation about their nights, both Magnus and Kravitz are noticeably and painfully silent.

After a bit Taako sighs heavily and throws his arm around Kravitz's shoulders, propping up his feet on the coffee table next to the cheesecake. "It's fine, Mags. He's cool. And also cold, but you don't gotta worry about that."

"For sure?"

"For sure." Taako nods. "He's too busy trying to get some of this to care about how you died a billion times or whatever. And I mean, who can blame him?" Taako gestures to himself where he's splayed out across the sofa and coffee table. "I'm a fucking catch, homie."

Merle is having the time of his life, Kravitz is trying to melt through the floor, Taako is incredibly pleased with himself, and Magnus is squinting like he's just heard a particularly tough math problem. They all wait for someone to say something first with varying degrees of interest before Magnus tilts his head, points at the table, and says:

"Is that cheesecake?"

"Uh..."

**Author's Note:**

> title from "[i've never been in love before](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyVDPo3pMsc)", the chet baker version, cuz i like to imagine they're listening to fantasy chet baker and also i like slowly dying i guess.
> 
> based off [this](https://twitter.com/AudreyPorne/status/894319890445750272) tweet, which i am only saying bc i need y'all to know that i yelled the first time i read it cuz it's so them. i'd like to thank my father justin mcelroy for basically confirming that there were more dates offscreen pre-suffering game, and i guess my grandfather? clint for confirming that merle knows and is super fucking chill and basically can never hold a grudge and just likes teasing magnus amen. also GOODEWILL WAS A FANTASTIC JOKE AND I'M USING IT FOREVER
> 
> this definitely wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this long, but whatever! i wrote this cuz it was fun! it's a good feeling tbh. posting this from ohio bc i'm driving to uni! that's right, i'm an east coast bitch again. anyone going to the mbmbam show in september in dc come say hi!
> 
> tumblr @[moonfullofstars](http://moonfullofstars.tumblr.com)


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